Status as an Icon
Here are a list of things from 1980: Pac-Man, Post-It notes, the Rubik’s Cube and the Staggers Act. Unless you are especially fond of puzzles, stationery or the deregulation of the United States Rail Industry, it’s fair to say that only one of those would make for a cool tattoo. Pac-Man is synonymous with gaming, and more specifically, retro gaming. Even the more modern depiction of the character, complete with arms, legs and a nose, of all things, holds recognition as a legacy brand.
Most everyone knows Pac-Man; his visage is instantly recognizable, and can evoke positive feelings of nostalgia. You know who he is, you know what he does, just one look at that lovable face can fill your mind with ‘wakka wakka wakka’ sound effects. The thing about this, is that unless you’ve grown fatigued from over-saturation (certainly possible if you’re one of the people who have already bought Pac-Man games on multiple occasions), you have no reason to dislike the character. For the most part, the only negative response would be one of apathy or indifference. The game isn’t for everyone. But for the reasons we’ve already looked at, it is in fact for a large majority of people, and that is as much based on what Pac-Man has come to represent, as for what he actually does.
Plus, Peter Quill once took on the form of Pac-Man in order to fight an immortal. If that doesn’t say good things about your protagonist, I don’t know what does.
